This invention relates generally to the field of sealing containers, and more specifically to improved sealing apparatus for applicators of viscous, liquid, or other substances.
The importance of sealing applicators of liquid or viscous substances from the environment, particularly the atmosphere, between uses lies in the danger that liquid or viscous residue on the applicator will harden and impair the operation of the structure. For example, in roller applicators--such as those used for roll-on deodorants--the residue liquid around the roller or ball tends to dry and cake, thereby fouling the ball and tending to inhibit subsequent rotation. Conventional means for sealing the exposed surface of the ball from the environment generally take the form of caps which screw onto the container holding the ball and the liquid. Some of the caps are designed to push the ball down into its fitment, others are designed to pinch the fitment from its sides, and all are designed to provide some degree of insulation between the ball and the environment. Similar conventional means are utilized in sealing other types of applicators, for example sponge applicators.
In every case, the degree of insulation between the exposed surface of the applicator and the environment is directly related to the degree of tightness achieved between the sealing cap and the applicator. However, from the practical or commercial viewpoint the degree of tightness in the conventional methods mentioned above is limited by the degree of facility of the removal of the cap necessary to prevent unacceptable customer annoyance. It will be recognized by those skilled in the art that the solution to the insulation problem of applicators of liquid or viscous material must lie in the reconciliation of the two seemingly antithetic objectives of tightness and facility of removal.